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Politics in Tech selection? Shocking

The Lowell Sun

Updated:
10/29/2012 12:30:35 PM EDT

THE SELECTION process to select a new Lowell representative on the Greater Lowell Technical High School Committee was designed to be transparent, with the final selection resting solely on a candidate's qualifications.

New this time around, for example, candidates are going to be "interviewed" by members of the Lowell City Council and School Committee, who will decide collectively who replaces Michael Lenzi, who recently moved to Dracut from Lowell, which created the vacancy.

But you'd never know it based on the behind-the-scenes lobbying effort by the candidates themselves, namely Cliff Krieger and Ray Boutin; their supporters; and even members of the Tech committee.

Nearly a dozen separate interviews with city councilors and Lowell School Committee members conducted Friday morning found that Krieger and Boutin have wasted no time in trying to compile the magic number of votes -- eight.

But also calling around for Krieger and Boutin are: state Rep. Thomas Golden (Boutin); Tech Dean of Discipline (and superintendent wannabe) Timothy Fallon (Krieger); former City Manager William Taupier (Krieger); and Tech School Committee members Fred Bahou and Erik Gitschier (both Krieger).

Even former Tech Superintendent William Collins couldn't resist the temptation to stick his fingers in the pie, as he's called on behalf of Krieger. What makes Collins' meddling interesting is he's three-times removed as superintendent.

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The deadline for submitting applications to Mayor Patrick Murphy was the close of business Friday. Based on the interviews, it appears only Krieger and Boutin are interested. Interviews are scheduled for Nov. 5.

City Councilor Edward Kennedy has mixed emotions about the interview process. On the plus side it will give the candidates an opportunity to expose their strengths, or weaknesses, he said.

"But the interview process only has true validity if everyone stays uncommitted until Nov. 5," said Kennedy, who has not committed to any candidate yet. "But as far as I know 10 to 12 city councilors and School Committee members are already committed."

Added School Committee member Robert Gignac, who hasn't yet committed: "I agree there are a large number of us who have committed to a candidate, so I'm not sure how effective the interview process will be in changing anyone's minds."

Let the charade begin.

THE FINAL bell was struck yet the contenders from Billerica, Republican state Rep. Marc Lombardo and Independent James O'Donnell, still managed to sneak in a few more blows.

It was Tuesday evening and the two had just wrapped up a half-hour tilt at The Sun, a debate which had been originally scheduled to run for a complete 60 minutes. Both Lombardo and O'Donnell had made sure to cram in their best hits during their shortened tango, and O'Donnell didn't hesitate to remind viewers watching the stream on www.lowellsun.com that the reason the debate lasted only 30 minutes was because his opponent showed up late.

Lombardo said he was told by phone from someone at The Sun that the debate had a 6 p.m. start time.

The debate had ended and O'Donnell, who showed up 20 minutes early for the 5 p.m. debate, reminded the incumbent once more that the start-time had been published several times prior in The Sun, adding for good measure, "Marc, don't you read the newspaper?"

Lombardo, who had just finished defending his first-term voting record against repeated jabs from O'Donnell, shot back, "Jimmy, don't you read the bills?"

The two briefly put aside their differences to pose for a handshake photo but O'Donnell later acknowledged that their brawl of words managed to spill out into the parking lot.

No real punches were thrown -- just barbs -- but it's clear there's a spirited race happening in the 22nd Middlesex District.

ATTORNEY ROLAND Milliard described the Lowell Regional Water Utility as a "place out of control" during the August gas-theft trial of his client, fired LRWU employee Ronald Mercier.

Events in the department since the trial have backed up Milliard's statements and then some.

And the developments are all connected in some form or fashion to LRWU Foreman Geoff Whitman.

The latest was the arraignment on Thursday of LRWU employee Steven Torres on charges that he verbally intimidated three co-workers and physically bumped into one of them. Torres harassed the employees because he believes they have been talking to The Sun and police about the police investigation into alleged scrap-metal theft and other criminal activity in the department.

The connection between Torres and Whitman is this: Torres reports to Whitman and sources say they are close.

Sources said Whitman allows Torres to slack off, which has earned Torres the nickname "Pockets," because he often sits around with his hands in his pockets doing nothing.

Some in the department believe Torres, by trying to silence employees, is trying to protect Whitman, who is a main target of the scrap-metal probe because of the $1,005 he received for scrapping copper and brass last December on a day he worked.

Police are also examining the events surrounding the anabolic steroids Whitman was found with at the LRWU several years ago.

The Sun's reporting on the steroids issue, including statements from LRWU head operator Sean Fernandez that Whitman had the steroids delivered to work, led to Whitman suing Fernandez, while on sick time.

Two days later, Whitman dismissed the suit on a day he worked and left in the afternoon to take sick time. Milliard was prepared to defend Fernandez.

Whitman likely does not want employees chatting with police about any special deliveries to the department.

The recent events also raise the question of why Whitman, the department's lightning rod, has not yet been put on any sort of administrative leave by City Manager Bernie Lynch in the midst of the investigation.

Mercier and fellow LRWU employee Keith Murphy were put on leave soon after police began investigating the gas theft in 2010. Their alleged misdeeds were caught on surveillance camera.

Lynch has put other employees on leave for seemingly less serious allegations.

Earlier this year, Lynch placed parking administrator Melissa McNeely on paid leave during the parking-theft investigation. She was never implicated in any wrongdoing and it was later revealed she had suggested the theft not be covered up.

Last year, then-sealers of weights and measures John Hynes was put on paid leave while the city investigated his work performance. Hynes was never alleged to have engaged in any wrongdoing.

When asked why Whitman is still at work, Lynch said it is because the investigation is not yet complete.

WHILE POLICE took statements from those allegedly harassed by Torres, they may not be able to find any video evidence of the harassment and other alleged wrongdoing at the plant.

That's because when police descended on the Pawtucket Boulevard plant Wednesday night, LRWU Maintenance Superintendent Eric Ryder could not produce the video police were looking for.

On Thursday, two police detectives and an employee with the city's Management Information Systems (MIS) department returned, and discovered cameras at the plant have not been recording since April.

Whitman's alleged loading of scrap and copper into his personal vehicle last December also is likely not captured because he parked his vehicle in a bay at the utility garage where cameras are not focused.

Police Superintendent Kenneth Lavallee would not comment on specifics, but said the police investigation is ongoing.

Interestingly, Whitman and LRWU Executive Director Daniel Lahiff agreed to use Whitman's personal video camera to secretly tape "blind spots" in the garage that couldn't be seen by the department's surveillance camera to try to catch the gas theft in 2010.

STUDENTS IN the "Urban Politics and Policy" class Lynch teaches at UMass Lowell on Tuesday and Thursday mornings almost got an up-close look at the Water Utility last week.

Lahiff had told utility employees to be on their best behavior for an expected tour of the facility by Lynch and his class on Tuesday and made sure the facility was cleaned the week prior. But the teacher and his pupils did not show.

Lynch says the visit to the plant was considered, but not planned. He said the class needed to complete a module on budgeting before student projects began on Thursday.

The students probably would have had a much more memorable experience learning about the goings on at the plant.

Since the inmates are serving sentences in jails and prisons all over the state, rather than transport all the bodies into court, a video conferencing system was hooked up at each facility to the Woburn courthouse.

The system worked like a charm on Monday and Tuesday, but on Thursday the hookup temporarily failed causing a long delay as Collins worked to fix it. Collins used the courtroom phone and his own cellphone to continue the hearings. In the end only one case, a Lowell case, had to be postponed until Friday.

So far there have been about a dozen or so drug-lab cases that have come before the judge, and a few of those have been released either with bail or by having their cases dismissed because Dookhan was the primary chemist on the case.

But this is only the tip of the iceberg. The cases being heard now are some of the 1,140 inmates who are currently serving time and in which Dookhan had a hand in their cases. The estimate is that Dookhan's name could be attached to thousands of cases statewide, many of whom have already served their sentences.

But the collateral damage yet to be tabulated are: noncitizens who may have been deported due to the tainted drugs, lost custody of their children, and had their property and cash taken by the government through the drug forfeiture law.

ONLY WEEKS before the election, state Senate candidate Mike Barrett is touting new endorsements still coming in.

Barrett, a Lexington Democrat facing off against Chelmsford Republican Sandi Martinez, has picked up the backing of two environmental groups and two groups that support progressive causes: The Sierra Club, the Massachusetts League of Environmental Voters, the Mass Alliance and MassEquality, which advocates for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender communities.

Barrett and Martinez are fighting for the 3rd Middlesex District, which includes Bedford, Carlisle, Chelmsford, Concord, Lincoln, Waltham, Weston, the western half of Lexington and the northeastern half of Sudbury.

Unlike the other aforementioned celebrities, however, Ward has chosen to stay in the city after he became famous, first during his boxing career and then with the release of the award-winning movie The Fighter.

So it comes as surprising news that he's getting ready to pack his bags for Florida.

"You never know what's going to happen," he told The Column. "But for now it's only for one year."

Ward has committed to train about a dozen professional boxers for one year in the Deerfield Beach area. Though he'll work many six-day weeks, Ward promises to return to Lowell as often as he can.

Ward said reports he has his home up for sale are untrue. He has no plans to sell his home, which is located in the Highlands section of the city.

He said the offer to train the boxers in Florida, made through a friend, was a "very good" one. Ward will head south in a couple of weeks.

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